Bill Mager files for county judge

Bill Magers announced his candidacy this week for Grayson County Judge in the 2014 Republican Primary Election.

Bill Magers announced his candidacy this week for Grayson County Judge in the 2014 Republican Primary Election.

"I am running because the taxpayers deserve an effective, results-oriented county judge. We have too many people in elected office today that are more interested in creating problems than finding solutions," said Magers in a prepared statement. "I have a proven track record of results and am ready to go to work for the taxpayers of Grayson County."

When asked to identify the single most important issue facing Grayson County, Magers said, "We must stop looking at ourselves as Sherman, Denison, the lake area, West, East or South County. We are a single geographic area — Grayson County — and we must take charge of our destiny or someone else will take charge of it for us."

"I am determined to roll up my sleeves and go to work making the case for united action on behalf of the place we all call home," he continued. "Growth is coming. If we are to maintain and improve our unique quality of life for ourselves and our children, then we must effectively manage the growth for the welfare of all."

Magers is a native of Grayson County, a local businessman and a three-term former mayor of the city of Sherman. He and his wife Angela have four sons. The couple owns the Montessori Academy of North Texas in Sherman.

Magers said he was the architect of the election to reduce Sherman property taxes by 20 percent and reinvest in transportation infrastructure. "Shifting Sherman’s tax base to rely more on sales taxes rather than property taxes has proven to be a long-term win for the taxpayers. This tax shift saves property owners nearly $1 million annually and has helped our retired seniors stay in their homes. It’s good fiscal policy that allows for those using the streets, commercial utilities and public safety services to pay their fair share."

During his last term as mayor, Magers led the effort to bring Panda Energy to Grayson County. He helped structure a deal with with Panda Energy that generates over $5 million in total annual revenue beginning in 2015 for the county, city, school and community college districts and will produce enough power for 750,000 homes in North Texas.

In 2010, Magers was one of many citizens who opposed efforts to construct a $31 million privately owned jail. The county eventually renovated the existing jail, a plan Magers supported. The renovation saved more than $20 million and avoided long-term debt.

"When you are committing taxpayer dollars, especially on long-term, large-scale projects, you have to ask, ‘What are the costs now and what will it cost later?’ Often, the answers to those two questions conflict. If you can’t reconcile the numbers on both questions then it’s not a good deal for the taxpayer," Magers said.

Magers said he also played a key leadership role on both transportation and water issues. As chairman of the Grayson County Metropolitan Planning Organization, he worked with local and state leaders on several transportation projects. He helped to secure 100 percent of Lake Texoma’s groundwater allotment and to create a regional groundwater conservation district that affords all of Grayson County protections in terms of its water supply.

"Water is the new oil. It is a precious commodity and our region enjoys an abundant supply. The voters of Grayson County recently passed Prop 6 (Water Plan) by a margin of almost 70 percent to 30 percent. This shows they understand the need to make investments in this arena. I look forward to continue working with our state leaders to make sure that Grayson County receives its fair share of funding from Prop 6 for our local water infrastructure projects," said Magers.

Magers is a graduate of Austin College and earned a Master of Business Administration degree in international management from Thunderbird School of Global Management. His private sector experience includes executive management, entrepreneurial success in building companies from the ground up, restructuring existing companies and real estate development.

The Magers family are members of First United Methodist Church

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